ASSEMBLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 3076

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  FEBRUARY 23, 2021

      The Assembly Women and Children Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3076 (1R).

      This bill requires the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) in the Department of Law and Public Safety to develop or approve a triennial in-service training course and curriculum specifically for county prosecutors and assistant county prosecutors who are assigned sexual assault cases on handling, investigating, and responding to reports of sexual assault.  The training course and curriculum required by the bill is to include instruction on the value of restorative justice in sexual assault cases. 

      The DCJ is to make the curriculum available to all county prosecutor’s offices in the State.  The Attorney General is responsible for ensuring that all county prosecutors and assistant county prosecutors complete this training. 

      The bill requires the DCJ to review and make necessary revisions to the training course and curriculum every five years.  The DCJ is to consult with nationally recognized trainers with expertise in trauma informed care and the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault in this review (NJ CASA). 

      The training course and curriculum may be made available in an online format, but prosecutors are to complete the course and curriculum in person every six years. 

      A county prosecutor or assistant county prosecutor appointed after the bill’s effective date is to complete the training course and curriculum within 60 days of appointment.  If a prosecutor appointed on the effective date of the bill has completed training in the handling of sexual assault cases, the DCJ is required to determine whether that training complies with the bill’s provisions.  If the training does not comply with these provisions, the prosecutor will be required to complete the training course and curriculum required by the bill within 60 days of the bill’s effective date. 

      Finally, the bill requires the DCJ to develop an open process for accepting bids by organizations wishing to assist in developing and providing the training required by the bill.

      As reported by the committee, Senate Bill No. 3076 (1R) is identical to Assembly Bill No. 4890 (Vainieri Huttle/McKnight/Reynolds-Jackson), which was amended and reported by the committee on this date.